Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Ventilation & Masks: Reducing Airborne Transmission Of Covid-19 In A Classroom, Eric A. Schiff

SyracuseCoE

We've calculated the number of COVID-19 infections that will be spread from a single COVID-19 "superspreader" to students and teachers in a classroom shared for 4 hours in different ventilation and masking conditions.

A Method To Measure The Partitioning Coefficient Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Nanoparticles, Guiying Rao, Jeonghyeon Ahn, Abigail Evans, Michelle Casey, Eric P. Vejerano

Faculty Publications

The partitioning behavior of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into nanoparticles is less studied compared to those of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) because of the lower concentration of the VOCs that is expected to partition into particles. One challenge in measuring the accurate partition coefficient of VOCs is quantifying their low mass fraction that sorbed on nanoparticles and differentiating them from the high VOC concentrations present in the gas-phase. Systematically characterizing the partitioning coefficient at a specific environmental condition is also difficult when sampling in the field. During field sampling, thermal and non-thermal issues such as sampling artifacts and non-equilibrium conditions …

Determinants Of The Carbon Footprint Of German Swimmers 2020., Ann-Marie Muehlbauer

Master's Theses

The current climate situation is placing our planet and future generations at risk, which demonstrates the urgency to combat climate change and conduct research to support this effort. Calculating the carbon footprint of active sport participation represents an important opportunity to conduct additional research. This study examined the environmental attitudes and practices of swim club members in Germany. The study had three goals: First, to calculate the total and partial carbon footprint of German swimmers; second, to understand how sport organizations induce participants to engage in pro-environmental behavior; and third, to analyze various factors associated with carbon footprint, such as …

The Assessment Of Co2 Exposures, Workload Demands, And Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk On Heart Rate For Select Craft Brewery Job Tasks, David L. Huizen

Dissertations

Americans have embraced craft beer, and the ensuing demand has resulted in an ever-increasing number of craft breweries opening over the past 20 years. Craft brewers are generally small employers and, as such, lack the resources necessary to address the safety and health of their employees adequately. Brewers face many safety and health hazards in their work environment. These hazards include exposures to carbon dioxide (CO₂), workload demand, and MSD risk. It is essential to evaluate these hazards in craft breweries as they handle carbon dioxide (CO₂) differently than large breweries by having the CO_{2 …}

Statement Of World Aquatic Scientific Societies On The Need To Take Urgent Action Against Human-Caused Climate Change, Based On Scientific Evidence [Dear Colleague Letter], Scott A. Bonar, Brian R. Murphy, Leanne H. Roulson, Jesse T. Trushenski, Douglas J. Austen, Michael Edward Douglas

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Dear Colleague Letter from the American Fisheries Society to fellow scientific societies, July 25, 2020, about the urgent need for responsive collective action to mitigate impending radical climate change. Includes the Statement of World Aquatic Scientific Societies on the Need to Take Urgent Action Against Human-Caused Climate Change, Based on Scientific Evidence, emphasizing the importance of aquatic ecosystems. Includes extensive citations and notes.

"Water is the most important natural resource on Earth as it is vital for life. Aquatic ecosystems, freshwater or marine, provide multiple benefits to human society, such as provisioning of oxygen, food, drinking water, genetic resources; regulation …

A Letter To Reconsider The Conditions For Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators For Emergency Reuse To Address Shortage, Eric P. Vejerano, Jeonghyeon Ahn

Faculty Publications

The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration efficiency. A recently issued guideline will test decontaminated N95 respirators against particles with a median diameter of 0.075 ± 0.020 µm at a flow rate of 85 L min–1. For emergency reuse, these conditions may be too stringent. N95 respirators tested at this flow rate had predicted efficiencies of < 69%, assuming complete degradation of their electrostatic coating. Experimental efficiencies were ~15% lower. For emergency reuse, we recommend to either adjust the flow rate closer to normal breathing, or the size of the test particle should reflect that of virus-laden respiratory aerosols (~> 0.5 µm). By reconsidering the test conditions, a substantial fraction of used/decontaminated respirators can …

An Assessment Of Disinfection-Related Water Chemistry At Public Pools And Spas In Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas Gerding, Tim Wilder, Jason W. Marion

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The growth in the number of pools to more than 7.4 million in the U.S. has been accompanied by a rise in recreational water illnesses (RWIs). Effective pool management, though, can mitigate RWI risks. Inadequate management presumably occurs more frequently where training is less formalized and/or pool operation is a minor aspect of the job of the responsible pool manager(s). During summer 2018, weekly evaluations were performed at public venues in Louisville, Kentucky. Disinfectant levels and other items were monitored and compared with venue-specific (pool or spa) criteria. Among 1,312 venue surveys, 1,173 (89.4%) met criteria and 139 (10.6%) did …

Toxic Structures: Speculation And Lead Exposure In Detroit's Single-Family Rental Market, Alexa Eisenberg, Eric Seymour, Alex B. Hill, Joshua Akers

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Foreclosure sales permitted investors to purchase large volumes of low-cost residential properties after the last financial crisis, reshaping patterns of property ownership in low-income housing markets across the US. This study links post-foreclosure property acquisitions by investor-landlords to subsequent lead poisoning cases among children under age six living in Detroit, Michigan. We find that the odds of exhibiting elevated blood lead levels (≥ 5 μg/dL) are higher for children living in investor-owned homes purchased through tax foreclosure sale. These findings highlight the potential for property speculation in post-foreclosure housing markets to exacerbate severe and racialized burdens of excess lead toxicity …

Quercetin And Vitamin C: An Experimental, Synergistic Therapy For The Prevention And Treatment Of Sars-Cov-2 Related Disease (Covid-19), Ruben Manuel Luciano Colunga Biancatelli, Max Berrill, John D. Catravas, Paul Ellis Marik

Bioelectrics Publications

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents an emergent global threat which is straining worldwide healthcare capacity. As of May 27th, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has resulted in more than 340,000 deaths worldwide, with 100,000 deaths in the US alone. It is imperative to study and develop pharmacological treatments suitable for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Ascorbic acid is a crucial vitamin necessary for the correct functioning of the immune system. It plays a role in stress response and has shown promising results when administered to the critically ill. Quercetin is a well-known flavonoid whose antiviral properties …

Nanocarbon Modification Of Membranes For Enhanced Water Desalination And Water Treatment, Worawit Intrchom

Dissertations

Water scarcity is foreseen to be one of the great global issues in the coming decades. The challenges are not only in providing water supply to cope with the growing public demand, but recovering clean water to natural resources. Clean water supply, from brackish and seawater is attractive. Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging thermal membrane-based process that has been used for desalination and other pollutant separations from water. MD can be operated at low temperature, so low-grade energy sources are a good alternative heat source for MD. High salt rejection and low membrane fouling also make MD interesting for …

Using Short Chain Fatty Acids To Inactivate Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms, Stephen Lee

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract

Using Short Chain Fatty Acids to Disinfect Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms

by

Stephen Lee

Background

The study of bacteria typically focuses on the planktonic or free-living single-cell state that is purely cultured in a laboratory for subsequent growth with appropriate media. Although this traditional way of growing bacteria has been paramount to the understanding of bacterial behavior, physiology, and pathogenesis, bacteria rarely exist as pure cultures of planktonic growth forms in the natural habitat. Bacterial contamination of environmental surfaces, in the form of biofilms, is a prime public health problem and causes numerous infections within the general public. Biofilms are …

The Value Of Iaq: A Review Of The Scientific Evidence Supporting The Benefits Of Investing In Better Indoor Air Quality, Vickie R. Hawkins,, Cheryl L. Marcham, John P. Springston, J. David Miller, Geoffrey Braybrooke, Craig Maunder, Lydia Feng, Ben Kollmeyer

Publications

Other studies have examined how ventilation rates, combined with the presence of pollutant sources, can affect productivity. These studies provide evidence that increased ventilation, including increases above common guidance levels such as ASHRAE’s ventilation standards, improve occupant productivity. Increased occupant control over ventilation has also been shown to improve productivity. Higher indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have been directly associated with impaired work performance and increased health symptoms. Historically, it was believed that these associations exist only because higher indoor CO2 concentrations, resulting from lower outdoor air ventilation rates, are also correlated with higher levels of other indoor-generated pollutants that …

Volatile Organic Compound Exposure And Cardiometabolic Syndrome Risk In A Nationally Representative Cohort., Stacey Lane Konkle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: The relative importance of environmental exposures such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one of the paramount public health priorities of our time, yet is presently unstudied. VOCs are ubiquitous in the environment and have been associated with numerous adverse health effects, including a number of cardiovascular and metabolic effects that are components of Cardiometabolic Syndrome (CMS). OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between CMS and individual-level exposures to VOCs, measured as urinary metabolites of VOCs (UM-VOCs), in a nationally representative sample. METHODS: Associations between urinary biomarkers of exposure to 19 parent VOCs and CMS were assessed using the National …

The Relationship Between Tree Canopy And Social Capital On Physical Activity In Unlv Students, Melissa Bartshe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite the numerous health benefits, rates of physical activity are low, especially among the college student population. Neighborhood tree canopy is one aspect of the built environment that has been shown to positively impact physical activity. Social capital has also been correlated with higher rates of physical activity. The sprawling urban design and arid desert climate of Las Vegas pose unique challenges to both tree canopy and social capital. Additionally, the relationship between tree canopy, social capital, and physical activity is understudied in the college student population. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of tree canopy …

Antinéoplasiques En Milieu Hospitalier : Étude Pilote Sur L’Exposition Potentielle Du Personnel D’Hygiène Et De Salubrité, France Labrèche, Capucine Ouellet, Brigitte Roberge, Ahmed Yennek, Nicolas Caron

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Certains antinéoplasiques (ANP), utilisés pour le traitement du cancer, sont eux-mêmes classés cancérogènes et peuvent avoir d’autres effets toxiques chez des travailleurs qui les manipulent. L’incidence du cancer et le nombre de personnes vivant avec le cancer ne cessent d’augmenter, ce qui permet d’envisager une augmentation des quantités d’ANP utilisées et du nombre de travailleurs potentiellement exposés. Une étude menée par l’Unité de recherche en pratique pharmaceutique du Centre hospitalier universitaire Ste-Justine a montré que plusieurs prélèvements effectués sur des surfaces touchées par le personnel infirmier et par celui de la pharmacie montraient des résidus d’ANP. Il n’y a cependant …

Retrospective Cohort Study Of Pure Tone Audiometry Threshold Shifts From Ototoxic Substance, Continuous Noise, And Impulse Noise Exposures At Tinker Air Force Base From 2005 To 2019, Marc J. Blair

Theses and Dissertations

This retrospective cohort epidemiology study sought to establish the comparative risks and potential indicators of hearing loss associated with combinations of ototoxic substances, impulse noise, and continuous noise exposure. Currently, there is not an existing model or methodology in the Department of Defense (DoD) that joins occupational exposure data and pure tone audiometric data. After developing an integrated database model for Tinker Air Force Base, the largest of three depot installations within Air Force Material Command, 2,372 individuals were grouped into eight combinations of exposure groups with a minimum three years exposure duration to hazards. The incidence rates and relative …

Surveillance Of Culex And Aedes Mosquitoes In Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, William Noundou

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2018, West Nile virus (WNV) was identified as the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. In response to this very serious problem, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Public Health Department (LLCHD) reinforced their mosquito surveillance program, which constitutes one of the best available tools to fight against this serious threat to human health. The objectives of this study were to 1) expand knowledge of the activity and relative abundance of mosquito communities in understudied areas and 2) evaluate differences in mosquito communities by urban and rural location, especially focusing on known vector species. A total of 6 …

Appalachian Environmental Health Literacy: Building Knowledge And Skills To Protect Health, Anna G. Hoover, Annie Koempel, W. Jay Christian, Kimberly I. Tumlin, Kelly G. Pennell, Steven Evans, Malissa Mcalister, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Dawn Brewer

Journal of Appalachian Health

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is an emerging, multidisciplinary field that promotes understanding of how environmental exposures can affect human health. After discussing the regional relevance of environmental health knowledge and skills, this article describes three ongoing Appalachian projects that are focused on measuring and building EHL.

Hear Me Roar, Abigail R. Seethoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hear Me Roar, a compilation of personal essays interspersed with short forms, grapples with the nuances of compliance versus autonomy in the context of the male gaze, beauty standards, and pop culture. The collection also explores what it means to treasure something—another person, an object—and how to express and deepen that affection.

Assessing Embalmer Exposure To Bioaerosols And The Associated Health Risk, Geneviève Marchand, Loïc Wingert, Stéphane Hallé, Maximilien Debia

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Plusieurs manipulations réalisées sur les corps des défunts par les thanatopracteurs produisent des bioaérosols qui peuvent contenir des agents pathogènes infectieux. La ventilation générale est souvent le seul moyen utilisé dans les laboratoires de thanatopraxie pour maîtriser les bioaérosols. Toutefois, il n’y a pas de recommandations précises pour sa mise en application. De plus, peu d'études abordent les expositions professionnelles aux bioaérosols dans le domaine de la thanatopraxie tant quantitativement (niveau d’exposition) que qualitativement (identification et classification selon les groupes de risque). L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer l’exposition des thanatopracteurs aux bioaérosols afin d’apprécier les risques potentiels sur leur …

Solvants Verts : Fondements, Santé, Sécurité, Environnement Et Substitution, Denis Bégin, Caroline Couture, Michel Gérin, Maximilien Debia

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’utilisation de solvants dans de nombreuses applications (dégraissage, nettoyage, décapage, imprimerie, peintures, adhésifs, fabrication de produits pharmaceutiques) constitue une préoccupation majeure. En effet, un grand nombre d’entre eux sont associés à des effets nocifs, tant sur la santé et la sécurité des travailleurs (brûlure, cancer, dermatite, encéphalopathie, fœtotoxicité, polynévrite) que sur l’environnement et la santé de la population générale (précurseurs de smog, pollution des eaux, couche d’ozone). Par ailleurs, de plus en plus d’entreprises veulent prendre le virage vert, c.-à-d. faire en sorte que leurs activités et leurs produits s’inscrivent dans la démarche du développement durable. C’est dans ce contexte …

What The Covid-19 Crisis Is Telling Humanity, David Wiebers, Valery Feigin

Animal Sentience

The planet is in a global health emergency exacting enormous medical and economic tolls. It is imperative for us as a society and species to focus and reflect deeply upon what this and other related human health crises are telling us about our role in these increasingly frequent events and about what we can do to prevent them in the future.

Cause: It is human behavior that is responsible for the vast majority of zoonotic diseases that jump the species barrier from animals to humans: (1) hunting, capture, and sale of wild animals for human consumption, particularly in live-animal markets; …

Performance Of Mechanical Filters Used In General Ventilation Against Nanoparticles, Clothilde Brochot, Pooya Abdolghader, Fariborz Haghighat, Ali Bahloul

Études primaires

With an equal mass, nanoparticles (NP) have a higher toxicity than particles with the same chemical composition but with larger surface area. However, the toxicological knowledge concerning NP is still insufficient to establish limit values of exposure. To seek the lowest exposure level, filtration is a simple and effective way to capture particles, including NP. According to ANSI/ASHRAE 52.2 standard, ventilation filters efficiency is tested for particles ranging from 0.3 to 10.0 μm. Performances of entire filters for NP are still very limited and particle size of 300 nm (0.3 μm) is commonly used as the most penetrating particle size …

Development Of A Method For Quantification Of Toluene Diisocyanate And Methylenediphenyl Diisocyanate Migration From Polyurethane Foam Sample Surface To Artificial Sweat By Hplc-Uv-Ms, Aleksandra Donchenko, Simon Aubin, Sébastien Gagné, Mark Spence, Livain Breau, Jacques Lesage

Études primaires

The US Environmental protection agency (EPA) has published guidance that includes test procedures for evaluating indoor exposure to chemicals from products. One of the test procedures represents the migration test for evaluating potential dermal exposure from home furniture. Such an evaluation involves the chemical measurement of the sweat which is currently unavailable in the literature. The objective of this project was to develop and validate an analytical method for quantification of migration of 4,4′-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (2,6-TDI) and 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (2,4-TDI) from a polyurethane (PU) flexible foam to artificial sweat that meets the recommendations of the EPA test …

On Site Comparison Of The Osha 42, Asset Ez4-Nco, Iso-Chek, Dan And Cip10 Methods For Measuring Toluene Diisocyanate (Tdi) At A Polyurethane Foam Factory, Simon Aubin, El Mekki Hamdi, Audrey Joly, Philippe Sarazin, Jacques Lesage, Livain Breau, Mark Spence, Sébastien Gagné

Études primaires

Because of the semi-volatile nature of diisocyanates (being airborne in both physical vapor and particulate phases), their high reactivity and low occupational exposure limits, diisocyanate exposure evaluation has been challenging for industrial hygienists and laboratories. The objective of this study was to compare the toluene diisocyanate (2,4 and 2,6 isomers, TDI) concentration measured by five methods in a flexible polyurethane foam factory using different collection or derivatization approaches. The methods used were: OSHA 42 modified (filter, 1-(2-pyridyl)piperazine) (OSHA), Asset EZ4-NCO (denuder and filter, dibutylamine) (Asset), Iso-Chek (double-filter, 9-(N-methylaminomethyl) anthracene and 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine), DAN (filter, 1,8-diaminonaphthalene), and CIP10 (centrifugation, 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine). Particle real-time …

On-Site Comparison Of The Osha 47, Asset Ez4-Nco, Iso-Chek, Dan, And Cip10 Methods For Measuring Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (Mdi) At An Oriented-Strand Board (Osb) Factory, Simon Aubin, El Mekki Hamdi, Audrey Joly, Philippe Sarazin, Jacques Lesage, Livain Breau, Mark Spence, Sébastien Gagné

Études primaires

Diisocyanates are occupational contaminants and known sensitizers causing irritation (skin and respiratory tract) as well as occupational asthma. Because of their physicochemical properties (semi-volatile and high reactivity) and low occupational limits, diisocyanate exposure evaluation is still a challenge nowadays for industrial hygienists and laboratories. The objective of this study was to compare the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) concentrations measured by five methods using different collection or derivatization approaches in an oriented-strand board (OSB) factory. The methods used were: OSHA 47 (filter, 1-(2-pyridyl)piperazine) (OSHA), Asset EZ4-NCO (denuder and filter, dibutylamine) (Asset), Iso-Chek (double-filter, 9-(N-methylaminomethyl) anthracene and 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine), DAN (filter, 1,8-diaminonaphthalene), and …

Phytochemical Screening, In Vitro Antimalarial Activity And Genetic Diversity Of Selected Asteraceae Medicinal Plants Indigenous To Thailand, Desy Liana

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The emergence of artemisinin resistance leaded the effort to find the new antimalarial drug or artemisinin activity booster. Due to the chance that secondary metabolites can be evolutionary conserved, combining phylogeny with ethnobotanical data for screening antimalarial activity may be helpful to predict bioactivity and minimize the expenditure and time for laboratory research. The aimed of this study is screening the antimalarial activity, phytochemicals and genetic diversity of selected Asteraceae medicinal plants generated by combinatorial phylogeny and ethnobotanical data. 733 medicinal plants were obtained from literature search however only 340 taxa were met the inclusion and exclusion criteria hence these …

Ailing In Place: Environmental Inequities And Health Disparities In Appalachia, Michele Morrone

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

In Ailing in Place, Michele Morrone explores the relationship between environmental conditions in Appalachia and health outcomes that are too often ascribed to individual choices only. She applies quantitative data to observations from environmental health professionals to frame the ways in which the environment, as a social determinant of health, leads to health disparities in Appalachian communities. These examples—these stories of place—trace the impacts of water quality, waste disposal, and natural resource extraction on the health and quality of life of Appalachian people.

Public health is inextricably linked to place. Environmental conditions such as contaminated water, unsafe food, and polluted …

Amélioration De La Justesse Des Modèles D’Hygiène Du Travail Utilisés Pour Estimer Des Expositions Professionnelles À Des Vapeurs De Solvants, Spéro Abattan, Stéphane Hallé, Daniel Drolet, Ali Bahloul, Patrick Eddy Ryan, Wejden Chouchene, Carlos Castro Ruiz, Jérôme Lavoué, Maximilien Debia

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Chaque année, des travailleurs québécois subissent des effets sur leur santé après avoir été exposés à des substances chimiques, notamment à des solvants. La modélisation des expositions professionnelles occupe une place importante dans la prévention des risques. Cette recherche vise à étudier différents aspects de la modélisation pour estimer des expositions professionnelles à des vapeurs de solvants dans le but d’en améliorer la justesse de prédiction. Le travail de recherche a été effectué en deux volets. Grâce à la mise en œuvre de tests à petite échelle (volet I) et à échelle humaine (volet II), les travaux présentés dans cette …

Sustainable Solutions, Fall/Winter 2020, Issue 41

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.